Trust between PAP and S'poreans 'more important than ever'

SINGAPORE - The trust between the People’s Action Party (PAP) and Singaporeans will be tested in the coming years amid social and economic disruptions afflicting the world, party secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong warned activists on Sunday (November 19) at the PAP convention.

And it is during this period, that the trust built by the ruling party "painstakingly over more than 60 years" will be more important than ever, said Mr Lee, who is also the Prime Minister.

Stressing the need for good policies to help Singaporeans cope with the challenges, he also urged Members of Parliament (MPs), activists and "key people throughout our society" to preserve the "good politics".

He noted that in western democracies, the trust between mainstream political parties and the people has essentially broken down, and the parties "no longer seem to represent the common man’s interests". 

In the United States, for instance, President Donald Trump won the Presidential Election with the support of the working class.

“These white working class Americans voted for Trump not because he was a traditional Republican, or because they thought he had better solutions to the country’s problems. They voted for Trump because they wanted him to break up the system which was failing them,” said Mr Lee.

“When people feel that the current system no longer works for them, they will look for radical alternatives.”

Mr Lee observed that the American voters lost faith not in any one party or leader but in ‘the whole system of politics and government’.

“We must never let this happen in Singapore. The PAP must always pursue policies which benefit the broad majority of Singaporeans," he said. 

"The PAP must always hold the ground, stay close to Singaporeans and maintain their trust and confidence."

Adding that it will not be an easy task to achieve goals such as upgrading the economy, creating good jobs, building world class infrastructure and preparing for an ageing society, Mr Lee said that in order to implement the policies, "we must get our politics right". 

The people must support the PAP, he said. 

"Most of all, they must trust the PAP," he added.

"They must know that the party cares about them, and is working to improve their lives."

Mr Lee said this does not mean the government should do only popular things. From time to time, it also has to make hard choices and take difficult decisions.

"And when we do so, we must be upfront with Singaporeans" in explaining the rational and getting their support, he said.

"Even if people may not like the specific policy, we must convince them that we are doing it with good intentions, and for good reasons," he said.

He reiterated the people "must know the PAP not as a remote, impersonal government, but as their team, as a human, personal preference - your caring MP, your friendly branch secretary, people whom you know, people who have shown that they can get things done, and will help you through difficulties and improve your lives," he said.

In this effort, every party member and activist has a role to play, he stressed. And he warned them against pushing their weight around, behaving arrogantly or taking advantage of their position, as these actions "bring disrepute to yourself and do harm to the party".

“But if you uphold the party’s ideals and serve residents conscientiously and selflessly, you will strengthen the trust between the party and the people, consolidate the party’s support base, and help keep Singapore successful,” he said.